Cable news ratings spiked on Feb. 28 with the beginning of military strikes against Iran, and they’ve stayed above their usual levels in the nearly two weeks since then.
The three biggest cable news channels — Fox News, MS Now and CNN — are running well ahead of their season-to-date averages in primetime. Smaller outlets like Newsmax and NewsNation are up too. Year-to-year comparisons are a little more complicated due partly to the timing of President Donald Trump’s last two addresses to Congress.
The war began with early morning (U.S. time) strikes in Iran by the United States and Israel on Feb. 28, and cable news coverage throughout the day led to much higher viewing levels than a typical Saturday. Fox News drew nearly 3 million viewers for the full day — the most for a Saturday in 23 years — and close to 4 million in primetime. CNN and MS Now also topped a million viewers for much of the day, a rare occurrence for the two on a weekends.
For the week of March 2, Fox News drew 3.11 million viewers in primetime (more than ABC and NBC), 31 percent above its previous average for the 2025-26 season. MS Now 1.35 averaged million viewers, up 36 percent vs. earlier in the season. CNN’s 1.05 million viewers improved by 59 percent. Farther down the rankings, Newsmax’s 242,000 viewers in primetime and NewsNation’s 206,000 were up 22 percent and 60 percent vs. their season averages through March 1.
Year to year comparisons are unfavorable to the news channels, as the first full week of March 2025 included Trump’s address to Congress, whereas this year’s State of the Union was on Feb. 24. Comparing the two presidential address weeks to each other, Fox News was flat (3.95 million this year vs. 3.94 million in 2025), while MS Now (1.43 million vs. 1.18 million) and CNN (1.09 million vs. 716,000) both grew. Ratings for the State of the Union declined this year, so the boost in weekend viewing with the onset of the war likely contributed to the bumps for MS Now and CNN.
The first two nights this week show Fox News (3.27 million viewer average on Monday and Tuesday) down about 9 percent (about 320,000 viewers) vs. the same days last year. MS Now (1.76 million) and CNN (866,000), however, were up by about 200,000 viewers apiece.
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